Oh, “Grand Prix,” my God. You know that was one of my first movies, and what a trip that was. We followed the Grand Prix circuit and it was one of the last, budget is no kind of limit movie. Traveling all over Europe, meeting those international stars. I was 24 years old when I did that movie and there was Yves Montand and Toshiro Mifune, you know who was a big star in Japan before and after. And Eva Marie Saint, and chauffeured limousines 24 hours a day. I mean, it was like a fantasy the whole thing. And the great John Frankenheimer was the director, “The Manchurian Candidate” among other things. It was quite an experience, I was gone for five months in Europe, and I was very happy to be home, I kissed the ground. How old are you?

''I’m 27.''

I can tell from your voice, this person’s not very old. I love that you know some of the things from the old days, like “Grand Prix,” or “Misty.” ‘Cause that’s from a long time ago.

"With your connections to Ron Howard, and he is doing a film about Grand Prix racing called “Rush,” have you discussed with him about doing a cameo as a callback to the role in ”Grand Prix?”"

Wow, you know I didn’t even know he was doing that, so that shows you where I am, I know nothing about that. I didn’t even know he was going to do a racing movie. At the time, Steve McQueen did a racing movie called, “LeMans,” which was about that racing circuit and it was a big race, and you should pardon the pun, race to see who would get on first. Steve McQueen in “LeMans,” or James Garner in “Grand Prix.” And we went on first. There was a rivalry there, not between the guys but between the films. I never saw “LeMans,” did you?

"No, I hadn’t. I only know Steve McQueen from “Bullitt,” that’s got the big car chase."

Yeah, he was the big hot star at the time. But, so was James Garner, really big. And a sweeter, nicer person never in the world is there than Jim Garner, that I can tell you.

Look at the picture in post 1321, which is the same car from a different angle - you can see the mesh cover over the real intakes, and the top link of the rear suspension, also the shape of the bulkhead. Then compare to the car in post 1330 which is a Lotus 20 - no top link, no mesh intake cover.

MGM had 3 Lotus 25/33s, and I think the one Garner sometimes drove was 25/R6

Apologies - what I thought was a Yamura is in fact a copy of Bruce McLaren's M2B - I'll take your word for it that a Lotus 25 lay beneath. I haven't seen the film for 20 years or more, and my memory is fading.

Having watched the movie being shot at Brands Hatch and Zandvoort '66 I must say it's rather jolly to see a pic of Jessica Walter earlier in this thread. While the camera lens adored Ms Hardy the effect wasn't quite so pleasing, as I recall, on a 20-year-old Brit's eyeballs. Complexion like a gravel drive, as I recall. Ms Walter, however, was a different matter... Strange, maybe, but true.

Thankfully it's not an either/or situation with regard to Mlle Hardy and Ms. Walter, and there's nothing strange about admiring the latter, though she will always be remembered primarily as the psycho in "Play Misty For Me". She still seems to be in work, voicing the Mrs. Robinson-like Mallory Archer in the salty "Archer" cartoon series which airs occasionally on Channel 5.

Physically they used Stewart's helmet to match the BRM car and driver in the real races but the character was closer to Clark's style and personality. But most of it was just fiction.

Bruce Anderson commented on his father Bob's role in the film: "I have a copy of the original press and and magazine release in which dad is in a photo with Hill, Stewart and some of the actors. And of course, I have the film on DVD where he gets a great mention and in 5th place at the start of the Monaco GP."

Here is an interesting photo, of Surtees and Garner at Silverstone, I think, but with what car?

'In 1969, Denis Jenkinson wrote:

"Earlier this year in Italy I bought a collection of 12 coloured postcards of racing cars, principally because the top one on the pack was a very good photo of a P4 Ferrari prototype. The set cost about 10s and were very neatly packed in a cardboard frame, but as I looked through them I became a bit disturbed. Eagle, Honda and Brabham Grand Prix cars were fine, and the colours were good, but there were three in the set, of a Ferrari, a BRM and a McLaren that appeared to be driven by the same driver, at least as far as the helmet colours were concerned. The captions on the back said Amon, Stewart and McLaren, and while the first one clearly was Amon, the second was not Stewart, and the third one was obviously Rindt. "Now wait a minute," I thought, "when did Rindt ever driver a McLaren?" The photo was taken at Monza, passing an empty grandstand which was puzzling. The BRM pertaining to be Stewart in an H-16 car was obviously the wrong colour green, whereas the other photos were very good colour reproductions. While scanning the H-16 photo the penny dropped, for in the background was a lot of camera equipment. Rindt was not in a McLaren, he was in an old Formula Three car faked to look like a McLaren, and the H-16 BRM was another film-phoney, with a "stand-in" in the cockpit. Amon in the genuine Ferrari V12 was wearing the James Garner red, white and blue sequence crash hat, which somehow was being worn by Rindt in the phoney McLaren at a later date, and the unknown "extra" in the BRM somewhere else.

"So thanks to Hollywood coming to Europe and "doing good for the sport", a very nice and well-balanced selection of colour postcards has been upset by the introduction, unwittingly I am sure, of two fake cars. However, perhaps I am wrong for this set could become very valuable like a series of stamps with the wrong perforations, or those classic Italian 500-lire coins on which the engraver had the sails of a boat blowing in one direction and the flag in the opposite direction! Perhaps in 20 years time my 10s collection of picture postcards will be become a collectors item and Southeby's Auction will raise £100 for them. Perhaps! If they do I'll buy Frankenheimer the dinner he always promised me but never got round to buying, at which he was going to ask me why I did not like his film.

"I am sure Hollywood’s invasion of the Grand Prix paddock did someone some good somewhere, but so far it has not been very obvious."

Has anyone seen these photos? I would rather like to see Rindt in a Formula 3 car, faked to look like a McLaren and wearing the Amon/Aron helmet. ' (Roger Clark in 2003)

This is the quote by DSJ in MS - presumably the photo I posted of the 'BRM' is one of the three; perhaps this is another:

Sorry, Paul, and others. Idiot that I am, I failed to check that the page linked correctly. Just type in Brands Hatch in the main search box, and then go to pages 10.11 & 12. It works eqaully well with the other main circuits, some interesting stuff there.Roger Lund

Sadly Alan Whicker has died at 87 - interviewing James Garner in Monaco for the programme about the making of 'Grand Prix', part of which was used I think on the video box set's extended footage or whatever they call it:

I am beginning to suspect - no, I am pretty much abso-b****y-lutely sure - that I am now the only one with any interest in this thread.................yet there are still unseen photos surfacing, and questions to be asked.

so here is one from Clermont-Ferrand with a line-up that includes the real Francoise Hardy and the real Jo Siffert......but who are the others?

I am beginning to suspect - no, I am pretty much abso-b****y-lutely sure - that I am now the only one with any interest in this thread.................yet there are still unseen photos surfacing, and questions to be asked.

so here is one from Clermont-Ferrand with a line-up that includes the real Francoise Hardy and the real Jo Siffert......but who are the others?

Paul M

No, this thread should live forever.

Any thread that keeps us topped up with pictures of the delectable Miss F H needs no further justification.

QUOTE (Macca @ Aug 3 2013, 18:08) I am beginning to suspect - no, I am pretty much abso-b****y-lutely sure - that I am now the only one with any interest in this thread.................yet there are still unseen photos surfacing, and questions to be asked.

Back to the last photo, of which I have now posted a larger copy, the person on the right is the right height for Ginther but not facially. The ones either side of Mlle Hardy look a bit like Brian Redman and Dan Gurney, but not enough to be them; and the one on the left in BRM-type orange overalls looks a bit like David Lazenby of Lotus.

Probably they were just a bunch of French clubbie drivers who happened to be there during filming....

A different angle on the grid, with Sarti hooked up to the GT40 alongside Randolph and Barlini:

Back to the last photo, of which I have now posted a larger copy, the person on the right is the right height for Ginther but not facially. The ones either side of Mlle Hardy look a bit like Brian Redman and Dan Gurney, but not enough to be them; and the one on the left in BRM-type orange overalls looks a bit like David Lazenby of Lotus.

Probably they were just a bunch of French clubbie drivers who happened to be there during filming....

A different angle on the grid, with Sarti hooked up to the GT40 alongside Randolph and Barlini:

and in Royat:

Paul M

Bottom right in the top picture is the late Jack Watson who played Jeff Jordan in the film. A stalwart supporting actor, like Nigel Green, of a number of films in the 1960s.

I too love this topic - there are those amongst us on this forum who in the past have pointed out errors/mistakes/shortcomings in 'Grand Prix' but for me, and I expect many others too - as time passes and as the current Grand Prix scene descends further into farce - the 'patina' of this production improves evermore with the passing of time.

Thank you Macca this topic and thank you to the Stills Photographers who captured it all. Keep up the good work

ps. I never saw the film when in first came out - my first viewing was in 1968 at a psychiatric hospital where I worked in the finance office. Films used to be rented and shown in the main hall on a late Friday afternoon to the residents so I watched it with a colleague after work. Forty five years later the music still remains in mind as does the work of musical director and those in the editing suite who blended film and music together so well.